The Heavenly Hundred Square in the historic center of Kyiv, next to Mikhailivska Square, is a space that Kyiv residents have literally reclaimed for themselves. Until 2014, the site was privately owned and intended for hotel construction, but during the Maidan events, activists demolished the fence, removed the landfill, and personally transformed the square: they planted trees, set up a rock garden, and a playground whose menu was created by the children themselves. The grand opening took place in the summer of 2015, and in 2016, the square won the “Special Mention” nomination at the European Prize for Urban Public Space in Barcelona.
The main decoration of the square is a mural by Portuguese artist Alexandre Fartu, known under the pseudonym Vhils, depicting the Hero of the Heavenly Hundred, Serhiy Nigoyan. The portrait, measuring about 100 m², is carved directly into the plastered wall of the house using the artist’s signature technique. Foreigners often mistake the image for the face of Christ, especially given its proximity to St. Michael’s and St. Sophia’s Cathedrals. But Fartu himself says that he was captivated by Nigoyan’s gaze—“the eyes of the entire Heavenly Hundred”—which he sought to recreate in this work.